DRC / War in North Kivu: UN still in the effects of announcement
While the conflict claims victims and displaces people every day, the United Nations is bogged down in diplomatic rhetoric without any prospect of concrete action. On Friday, May 10, 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once again engaged in this exercise of declaration and condemnation without lifting a finger to end the massacre of civilian population in Eastern Congo.
The intensification of fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels supported by the Rwandan army in North Kivu has triggered new waves of displacement. According to the UN, since the beginning of May, over 80.000 people have sought refuge in the Kalehe territory, in the neighboring South Kivu province.
« The UN fully supports the African Union’s efforts to silence the guns. We are ready to cooperate and mobilize the international community to support peace from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa, through the Great Lakes and beyond », he said.
Yet another statement like the previous ones, without bringing anything coherent to the resolution of this conflict whose actors are outside Africa. What does the UN need to ask European Union countries to stop supplying arms to Rwanda, which are immediately passed on to the M23 ?
What does the UN need to stop President Paul Kagame from his delusions of invading a sovereign territory ? Why is no sanction imposed on Rwanda for its criminal project of invasion and looting of the DRC’s mineral resources ? So many questions remain unanswered, and yet the answers are known to all ; it only takes political will to implement them.
It should be noted that the UN Secretary-General acknowledged that many conflicts are not solely the responsibility of Africans. « Many conflicts are also attributable to those outside Africa who have a negative influence on the course of events. And if you look at several situations that you have mentioned, you recognize that this is true », Antonio Guterres stated.
If the UN is unable to specifically identify external pathogens that harm the serenity of Africans, it is up to the African people to understand the stakes and make the necessary decisions.